Ex-Arsenal defender Lauren says sorry to Portsmouth fans and sends this message

But he heaped on the fans and reckons there are not many better in the country.

Lauren joined the Blues from Arsenal in 2006, having won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups at the London outfit.

However, the Cameroon international failed to hit the heights many expected on the south coast.

During his two-and-a-half season spell, Lauren featured only 30 times in total.

He was also left out of Harry Redknapp's match-day squad for the FA Cup final victory over Cardiff in 2008, although he did come off the bench in the memorable quarter-final win at Manchester United.

Speaking to Dream Team Coach TV’s Youtube channel, Lauren said ‘sorry’ to the Fratton faithful for not performing as well as he should have done.

But he still enjoyed his time on the south coast – and loved working under Redknapp.

Lauren said: ‘It was a big shock and mentally, I wasn't at my best.

‘I have to say sorry to Portsmouth fans and also especially to Harry Redknapp.

‘Mentally, I was switched off a little bit and I wasn't the same Lauren at Portsmouth as I was at Arsenal because I switched off a little bit.

‘Once you switch off, it's difficult to get back. But I have to say that we had a fantastic team at Portsmouth.

‘Also, the fans – Pompey fans are one of the best in English football for sure.

‘The way they support their team from minute one to the end is just the team.

‘I love Portsmouth and Harry. You can have a laugh all day in training. He is a funny man, he takes the best out of you and touches your heart.

‘Harry is unbelievable. I remember a day we were playing at Everton and we were losing 2-0 in the first half - we were playing terrible.

‘By the time it came out to play the second half, Harry's face went red and said: "I'm not going to go out, I'm staying here. You're a fantastic team and you're playing terrible".

'We were laughing and he wanted us to relax because we could have lost 5-0 or 6-0. He was an unbelievable coach.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

The News has launched a new subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage, starting at less than £1 a week.

You can subscribe here to get the latest news and transfer updates from Fratton Park - and to support our local team of expert Pompey writers.